Three is Company
by Flyaway1
Summary: Set in pre-LOTR times, focuses on the antics of a certain pair of hobbits. NOT SLASH, NOT MARY SUE. *Chapter 4* The threesome get up to more tricks, and a firework show is expected. Please R&R :oD
1. The prank goes awry

Author's Note: Finally, my first LOTR fic! Set in pre-LOTR times, it focuses on the young Merry and Pippin.  
  
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Chapter 1: The prank goes awry.  
  
Picture the scene; a warm, quiet afternoon in Buckland, most of the residents dozing peacefully in the gentle autumn sunshine. Now add the sound of two voices whispering rapidly to each other, and the patter of feet scurrying through the near deserted streets, and what do you get? Yep, Pippin and Merry are up to their old tricks.  
  
"So, which end do you light?" Pippin asked.  
  
"Whaddayamean, which end do you light?" replied Merry, trying to sound knowledgeable as he turned it over in his hand. "You figure it out," he shoved the object into his pal's hand.  
  
Pippin stared down at it completely perplexed. He had never seen one of these before. He and Merry were well acquainted with most of Gandalf's fireworks, but apparently, this wasn't a firework. He looked up at Merry with a blank stare.  
  
"This end?" he hazarded.  
  
"As good as any other end, I suppose," Merry shrugged. Pippin and his parents had come over to Buckland to stay with the Brandybucks for a while and the two young hobbits, as always, were ensuring that they made the most of their time together. When they were together, they were inseparable, each hobbit's mischievous side being magnified by the other's influence.  
  
Their latest plan had been to 'borrow' an exploding cracker from Gandalf's cart and set it off under old Olo Proudfoot's nose whilst he was sleeping. He was a miserable old hobbit, at least in Merry and Pippin's eyes, always grumbling about the pranks they played. It wasn't as if they had ever played a prank on him. . . not until today that is! The hobbits' eyes gleamed mischievously as they held a lit straw against the end of the cracker. As the spark caught hold, they dashed towards old Proudfoot's hammock and flung it underneath him.  
  
They raced back to the end of the street and hid behind the corner, waiting with gleeful grins on their faces. They waited in that position for a while, but nothing happened.  
  
"Do you think we picked a faulty one?" Pippin asked his companion. As they stared at each other uncertainly, the air was shattered by an ear- splittingly loud series of noises. They two hobbits jumped, and reached protectively for their ears. As they looked on, the whole population of Buckland leapt out of their hammocks, chairs and gardens, jerked out of their slumber. Under old Proudfoot, the cracker was jumping around and spitting sparks. The focus of the prank was, by now, screaming in panic and running for the other end of the street. Merry and Pippin rolled on the floor, unable to contain their laughter.  
  
"You know, Pip," began Merry in between giggles. "I think we set light to a bundle of crackers!" Pippin risked a peek around the corner and collapsed in renewed giggles as he realised his friend was right. A whole bundle of crackers had just exploded in the middle of the sleepy town.  
  
"Meriadoc Brandybuck," came a shrill female voice from behind them.  
  
"Peregrin Took," came another one. The two pals turned around fearfully, the humour of the situation long forgotten. Two stern female hobbits stood, hands on hips, glaring at the young hobbits. "This is the last time you two pull a stunt like this."  
  
"Oh, mum, we never meant for. . ."  
  
"I'm not listening to excuses, Peregrin. You are coming home with me, NOW."  
  
"Actually, I think I may have a more appropriate punishment for these two, Eglantine," Merry's mother grinned as a thought entered her head. The two young hobbits looked at each other nervously. When Esmeralda Brandybuck smiled like that, it was time to start panicking.  
  
All the way back to Merry's house, the mothers whispered and plotted behind them. Every time one of them turned around, they would get a clip round the ear and told to walk on. Finally they arrived and were ushered in by the mothers.  
  
"Sit," barked Merry's mum as she pointed threateningly to a couple of chairs. "You two deserve much worse than this, I can tell you. It just so happens that I need a couple of young hobbits to do me a favour, so you're going to help me."  
  
Merry and Pippin looked at each other fearfully.  
  
"Favour?" squeaked Pippin.  
  
"An old friend of mine, haven't seen her for years, is coming to Buckland for a visit. She's thinking of moving here as there are more young hobbits here and her daughter is lonely. She has three sons and just the one daughter, you see," she said as an aside to Pippin's mother. Eglantine Took nodded sympathetically.  
  
Pippin and Merry looked blankly at Esmeralda, fearing the worst and knowing that with their luck, it would occur.  
  
"I want you two," she pointed at the pair of shell-shocked hobbits, "to look after her daughter. Show her around, introduce her to people, that sort of thing."  
  
"Awwww, muuuuum," complained Merry. "We don't want a GIRL hanging around."  
  
"You're going to do as you're told, and what's more, you'll stay out of trouble whilst she's here. She's a nice young hobbit lass, and you two are going to be extra nice to her." Pippin and Merry scowled at the news. They didn't want anything to do with nice young, above all boring, hobbit lasses.  
  
"If you don't do as you're told," Eglantine added, "I shall personally lock you both in your rooms during Gandalf's next fireworks show." The two hobbits' faces fell as they heard the news. That was blackmail, and a hit below the belt. They lived for Gandalf's visits, and his next one was rumoured to be very soon.  
  
"She's arriving tomorrow afternoon, so I want you two scrubbed and neatly dressed on my doorstep for when she arrives. Now off you go."  
  
Pippin and Merry scampered out before the two mothers got it into their heads to make the situation worse.  
  
"A hobbit lass!" exclaimed Pippin. "What fun can we have with HER hanging around?"  
  
"Put it this way, would you rather put up with her, or miss the next fireworks show?" asked Merry resignedly. They both nodded together. They knew what had to be done, even if it was their worst nightmare.  
  
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Please R&R (yes, I'm an insecure person in need of reassurance and reviews!) and preferably no flames unless they're constructive. Also, let me know if I've got anything wrong. I made sure I researched everything I needed, but I may get some little details wrong. Knock yourselves out! :oD 


	2. The arrival of the Burrows

A/N - Thanks for the great reviews. I was dreading ending up with no reviews!  
  
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Chapter 2: The arrival of the Burrows  
  
On the bridge sat the two young hobbits with their feet dangling over the edge forlornly. They looked completely out of place with sparkling clean faces, their best clothes on, and their hair washed and brushed to within an inch of its life.  
  
"This is going to be such a waste of time," mumbled Pippin.  
  
"So many hours passing without any pranks," Merry shook his head sorrowfully. "Such a sorry waste of time."  
  
"She's bound to be a uptight, humourless lass."  
  
"No doubt, Pip. If she's anything like the other lasses around here, she'll be a real stick in the mud. We won't be able to get away with anything when she's with us."  
  
"Sense of humour transplant."  
  
"Sense of humour-ectomy." They giggled at their shared sense of humour.  
  
"My stomach's rumbling," complained Pippin.  
  
"Mine too," agreed Merry. "I only had first breakfast, second breakfast and elevenses."  
  
Their mothers had cleaned them up and hurried them out of the house whilst they tidied up before the impending arrival. So eager were they to get rid of the hobbits that they had completely overlooked the young hobbits' first lunch.  
  
"D'you think we've got time to go look for some wild mushrooms?" Pippin asked innocently. Merry's eyes gleamed as the thought of wild mushrooms entered his mind.  
  
"Of course," he replied. "There's always enough time for mushrooms."  
  
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Half an hour later, the two hobbits, slightly fatter after stuffing their faces with mushrooms, lay in a corner of the field.  
  
"My compliments to the chef," grinned Pippin, closing his eyes sleepily as his head lolled on Merry's shoulder. A sleepy Merry grinned back as he also was tempted to close his eyes and sleep off the fine snack.  
  
"Hey, Pip," he suddenly exclaimed, jolting Pippin out of his dreams. "We're supposed to be at home now!" Pippin sat bolt upright, thoughts of Gandalf's next fireworks show running through his mind. Together they scrambled up and set off at a run towards home, their large feet flapping on the earth.  
  
They ran through the streets of Buckland, hoping they weren't going to be too late. Just as Merry's house came into view, he slipped in a puddle of water and his feet flew from underneath him. He clutched desperately at Pippin, only resulting in pulling him down too. They both landed heavily on the ground, sliding the rest of the way to Merry's front door.  
  
Dazed, they raised their heads, wondering why the fall hadn't hurt more. Slowly, as they looked down, they realised that they had fallen into a soft, cushioning, and above all very smelly pile of pig droppings. They looked at each other resignedly.  
  
"Market day," they said simultaneously.  
  
At that moment, the door opened and a young female hobbit looked down at them in distaste. She was a plain thing with curly, short brown hair, brown eyes and an upturned nose.  
  
"Meriadoc Brandybuck!" came the familiar motherly screech as she loomed behind the young hobbit. "Is that any way to greet Miss Myrtle Burrows?"  
  
"Who's Myrtle Burrows?" asked Pippin with a flippant grin. That was enough to incite the full fury of her already frayed temper, and she swept down upon them, grabbing hold of one of their ears in each hand and dragging them indoors. Inside sat Eglantine with an older version of the young hobbit at the door, primly perched on the chair. She looked at them down her nose and whispered to Esmeralda.  
  
"Are you sure I should entrust my daughter to these two ragamuffins?"  
  
"My dear Peony, it appears that they have had an unfortunate accident. I'm sure they'll be on their best behaviour from now on." She delivered that last line whilst glaring at the two young hobbits meaningfully. They caught the full meaning of her words as if she had spoken them out loud. No fireworks for you, lads.  
  
Myrtle stood in the doorway as Esmeralda beckoned her in and introduced her to the pair. She sniffed, raising a hand, palm-down to the hobbits. Pippin stuck out his hand and shook hers firmly, pumping it up and down. She glared at him with a look of shock and tore her hand away.  
  
"Now, Myrtle," berated her mother. "That's not very lady-like, is it? You can't expect all hobbits to know how to greet a lady."  
  
"No, mother. I'm sorry mother," she responded, sending a look of hatred towards Pip.  
  
"Good girl. Now run along, and remember, do your mother proud, sweetheart."  
  
"Yes mother. Of course." It was a while before Merry noticed Esmeralda glaring at the two hobbits and gesturing for them to escort her around Buckland.  
  
As they emerged into the Buckland streets, Myrtle placed her bonnet on her head delicately, as she wrinkled her nose at Merry and Pippin.  
  
"You two smell."  
  
"I would expect so, Miss, seeing as we fell into a pile of pig droppings," answered Merry, trying his best to behave like a gentlehobbit.  
  
"We were looking for mushrooms. We can show you where to get some delicious ones. Have you had first lunch yet?" asked Pippin enthusiastically.  
  
Myrtle's eyes lit up momentarily, before the sparkle was extinguished quickly. "I hardly think that's a lady-like pastime," she replied coldly. "Rummaging around searching for mushrooms."  
  
"So what would you like to see?" asked Merry again, trying to be patient with her flippant dismissal of mushrooms.  
  
"I don't suppose there's very much of interest to a lady like myself," she replied disdainfully.  
  
"Well, WE get along fine," he answered back, his temper wearing extremely thin now. *Think fireworks, Merry lad. Think fireworks,* he repeated to himself like a mantra.  
  
"I hardly think you and I will have the same standards for pastimes," she smirked. As Merry's anger caught hold and his face screwed up ready to yell at the infuriating hobbit, Pippin placed an arm on his chest and turned to Myrtle.  
  
"How about a walk in the woods?" he asked with an endearing grin. "That's nice and peaceful, and very lady-like."  
  
Myrtle shrugged delicately. "I suppose that'll have to do. To be honest I can't see why our mothers have lumbered me with you two."  
  
Pippin looked at her in amazement. Who wouldn't want to be shown around by Pippin and Merry? "But we know the best places to find mushrooms, the best shops to steal food from, the best gardens to pick flowers from, and the best places to find nice, juicy, tender, mouth-watering mushrooms."  
  
"You mentioned the mushrooms twice, Pip," Merry whispered.  
  
"I know," he answered innocently. "That one's the most important."  
  
"There are other things more important in life than all that," she quipped. Pippin's astonishment grew.  
  
"More important than MUSHROOMS?" His mouth hung open. Was the hobbit crazy?  
  
"Pip, the fireworks," whispered Merry urgently into Pippin's ear. "Remember the fireworks!" Pippin looked in astonishment at Merry, his thoughts slowly coming back into order.  
  
"The fireworks, yes," he whispered nodding furiously. They looked around, aware that there was no more whining. By this time, they had reached the woods, and now Myrtle had disappeared.  
  
"Miss Burrows?" Merry called out hesitantly into the woods. A ripping sound came from behind a tree as the two hobbits approached it cautiously. Behind the tree stood Myrtle, bonnet and gloves thrown on the floor, dress by her ankles.  
  
"What are you doing?" called Merry as he regained the power of speech. She looked up, the earlier gleam in her eyes sparkling again. She grinned. She stood in a pair of shorts and a shirt which had been hidden under her full- skirted dress.  
  
"Changing into something more comfortable. I thought you two would never take me away from Buckland!" she giggled mischievously. She looked much more like a tomboy with her short hair in the new outfit. "Well, I can hardly change in full view of all the other hobbits, can I?" she asked the two dumbstruck hobbits. "Can't have word getting back to my stuck-up mother that I'm not behaving like a lady!" With that, she scampered off into the woods.  
  
"Are you two coming or not?"  
  
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QuackingFrog - OMG! You're right! Fred and George! Never meant for that to happen, but it's turned out well.  
  
brachan90 - I hope I will never EVER write a Mary Sue! If it starts drifting along those lines, you'll let me know, right?  
  
Next chapter should be up within the next couple of days. In the meantime, please R&R! 


	3. Girls ARE stronger than boys!

A/N: As you can see, I've rewritten the first two chapters in order to make sense of their locations. Thanks to brachan90 and Llinos for the pointers about the geographical errors, and a huuuuge thanks to brachan90 for all the help in re-writing the first two chapters. Thanks guys ;o)  
  
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Chapter 3: Girls ARE stronger than boys!  
  
Pippin and Merry ran into the woods, desperately trying to catch up with the changed Myrtle, but she was too quick for them, and soon they were wandering around, trying to find her.  
  
"Myrtle?" yelled Pippin. "Myrtle, where are you?"  
  
"Miss Burrows!" called Merry. No sooner had the words left his lips than a bundle dropped from the branches above him, landing on him and throwing him to the ground.  
  
"Enough of the Miss Burrows, Merry, unless you want me to start calling you Master Brandybuck," she exclaimed, barely out of breath as she picked herself up from the floor. "But that would be too much of a mouthful."  
  
"You shouldn't be going off into the woods by yourself, you know," Merry admonished.  
  
"Why? I'm sure you two do it all the time. Is it because I'm a girl?" Her face fell into a frown for a moment. "Because I can prove I'm as strong as you two any day." Pippin looked at her disbelievingly.  
  
"Boys are always stronger than girls," he retorted. Her face lit up at this unspoken challenge, and at once, she was on top of Pip, wrestling him to the ground. He shrieked in surprise as he tried to fight her off, but she had the advantage of surprise on her side. She sat on his stomach, looking down at him in glee.  
  
"Y'see?" she gloated. Pippin frowned, tipping her off and engaging her again in combat. They rolled across the leaf-strewn ground as, yet again, she managed to end up pinning him to the floor. "Beat you again!"  
  
Merry sat giggling at Pippin's discomfort a short distance away. "Come on, Merry, a little help here?" yelled Pip.  
  
"Your own fault for fighting a girl," was his retort as he dragged Pippin away from her.  
  
"So, why can't you behave as you like when other hobbits are around?" Merry asked her once they had admitted that girls could be just as strong as boys.  
  
"You don't know what it's like, living with my mother," she answered dejectedly. "I'm the only girl in the family, so I'm expected to act like a lady, speak like a lady, walk like a lady. Don't even try telling mother I don't want to be a lady! She used to punish me for playing with my brothers, but there's nowhere else I'd rather be. If any of this gets back to her, then I can kiss any contact with my brothers goodbye."  
  
As if the conversation had never taken place, her face lit up as she exclaimed, "Race you to that tree and back!" and took off running.  
  
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A few hours later, an exhausted Merry and Pippin escorted an energised Myrtle back to where she had hidden her dress and bonnet. They would never have thought that looking after a hobbit lass would have been so tiring. They had been expecting sedate walks around the town, and boring small talk. After a couple of minutes, Myrtle appeared from behind the tree, transformed back into the model of perfection.  
  
With every step they took closer to the Brandybucks', Myrtle became more and more obnoxious. Her walk became stiffer, her footsteps smaller, and she repeatedly complained to them that she couldn't keep up with their march.  
  
"What's that rustling sound?" Pippin had asked.  
  
"Probably the straw in your head that substitutes for brains," she had snapped back at him. Pippin had stared at her in astonishment. Where had the carefree, happy-go-lucky, if somewhat difficult to keep up with, lass gone?  
  
Back at home, she had shut herself away with her mother, getting dressed and ready for the main evening meal. Merry and Pippin had been banished from the house as Esmeralda and Eglantine cooked and prepared a marvellous feast. Their stomachs rumbled as the smells floated out to them sitting hungrily under the kitchen window.  
  
"Why do you reckon she's so horrible in public, Merry?" asked a befuddled Pippin.  
  
I'm sure I don't know Pip," his friend responded. Silence reigned for a few long moments.  
  
"What do you reckon is for supper, Merry?" Neither of them could hold a conversation for long when the wonderful aromas were wafting around them. They both sniffed deeply, taking in the wonderful scents. A scream suddenly shattered their reflections.  
  
"Merry and Pippin! Come here this instant!" They looked at each other in confusion. "Meriadoc Brandybuck!" came the furious female voice. They scrambled up hurriedly, rushing into the house.  
  
Inside, a scene of pure chaos met them. Both women were standing in the middle of the kitchen completely covered with dead leaves.  
  
"What is the meaning of this?" Eglantine screeched, beside herself with rage as a leaf, which was balanced on her head, gently floated to the floor. The two young hobbits looked even more confused.  
  
"What on middle earth possessed you two to fill the kitchen cupboard with dead leaves?" Everything became clear. Well, almost everything, for they could not take credit for this particular prank.  
  
"It wasn't us mum," Pippin explained.  
  
"Don't you dare try to get out of it, Peregrin!" raged Eglantine. "You two are going to go too far one of these days. Off to your room!"  
  
"But, supper?" Merry asked timidly.  
  
"You can wait until everyone else has eaten first." As they trudged off to their room, grumbling and wondering how the leaves had ended up in the kitchen cupboard, a giggle caught their attention. They raised their eyes curiously just in time to catch a glimpse of Myrtle's skirt as she scampered away.  
  
"Myrtle," Merry said grimly. This hobbit lass was MUCH more trouble than she was worth.  
  
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elf of Avalon - Awww, thank you!  
  
Natta - A Mary Sue is a fan created character, usually representing the author, with a story built around it. Mary Sues are not necessarily bad, but there are dangers in writing such a character in fan fiction. She is universally adored by all the regular characters, and she's usually the child or lover of the author's favourite. She is the most beautiful creature to ever live. She always saves the day, or dies heroically in the attempt, causing even the most cold hearted of the other characters to cry. She either becomes a figure of authority, defies it at every turn, or manages to do both at the same time. She has a wide variety of talents, putting her above and beyond mere mortals, and she's often named after the author. In short, Mary Sue is what everyone wants to be, and no one actually is. (Taken from http://www.echelon.ca/aldowdall/ld/marysue.html "Mary Sue and how to avoid her".) Hope that helps :oD  
  
Llinos - Thanks for the get out clause, but I'd rather not make this an AU.  
  
Indi - Who? Who?  
  
brachan90 - you know how grateful I am already!  
  
R&R. Go on, put some sparkle into my day! :oD 


	4. Gandalf rolls into town

Chapter 4: Gandalf rolls into town.  
  
Two long weeks passed by in The Shire, many days came and went, and still Myrtle was a double personality. She was great fun to be with, exuberant and merry when other hobbits weren't around, and then became the most annoying, uptight, snappish hobbit ever when in company. At the beginning, Pippin and Merry couldn't figure her out, and got annoyed when she did one of her transformations, but as they spent more time with her, they came to appreciate her mischievous side. Slowly, they got used to it, understanding her need to change so often, and appreciating that the good times far outweighed the bad times.  
  
They soon became a great threesome, playing tricks and planning pranks together with the skill of a group of professionals. The down side was the inevitable blaming of the two male hobbits, as Myrtle 'would never stoop so low as to play those pranks,' but they could live with that.  
  
One day, lying in the sunshine on the edge of the woods, they heard the clop of a horse's hooves. They sat up abruptly, Myrtle running to hide behind a tree in case anyone saw her in her shorts and shirt. Over the brow of the hill, a pointed hat came into view, followed by a pipe and a long grey beard.  
  
"Gandalf!" yelled Merry.  
  
"Hullo, young masters," came the gruff voice of the wizard as the hobbits ran to the edge of the road. Gandalf stopped the cart and peered into the woods. "Why are you hiding, little one?"  
  
"Come on out, Turtle," Pippin yelled, using the nickname he had bestowed on her. He knew she hated it, but he loved teasing her. "Gandalf won't tell anyone, will you Gandalf?"  
  
"Tell anyone what?" he asked as Myrtle appeared, walking anxiously forwards.  
  
"She's supposed to behave like a lady, except there's no fun in being a lady," Pippin answered for her.  
  
"Shut up, motor mouth." Myrtle punched Pip on the arm and he winced, staring at her with a hurt look. Gandalf chuckled.  
  
"Your secret's safe with me Myrtle Burrows," he winked.  
  
"Where are you going, Gandalf?" asked Merry. "To see Bilbo Baggins?"  
  
"That's right."  
  
"Is there going to be another fireworks show?" asked Pippin excitedly.  
  
"Possibly, possibly," he answered with a grin as he prodded the horse and slowly rolled away down the road. The three hobbits stared at each other gleefully.  
  
"He always says that when he's planning something!" bounced Pippin excitedly. Merry could only nod, having lost the power of speech through anticipation.  
  
"What's so special about this little thing then?" Myrtle asked them, holding up a long, thin package.  
  
"How did you get one of his fireworks?" asked Merry awestruck.  
  
"Just took it from his cart," she shrugged nonchalantly.  
  
"Myrtle, I love you!" Pippin exclaimed as he hugged her suddenly. She pushed him off roughly.  
  
"Hey, leave it out!"  
  
"We'll add this one to our stash of nicked fireworks," breathed Merry as he pored over it.  
  
"What are they like, the shows?" she asked them. They stared at her, their mouths hanging open.  
  
"You mean, you've never been to one?" asked Merry unbelievingly. She shook her head.  
  
"Not allowed, remember?"  
  
"Not even allowed to see Gandalf's fireworks? But, but that's not NOT ladylike?" he stuttered, mixing up his words. She shrugged dejectedly.  
  
"You have to come with us to Hobbiton," Pippin exclaimed vehemently. "You have to see this!"  
  
"It's all up to my mother, isn't it." Her face reflected the hopelessness of the cause.  
  
"She HAS to let you come!" Merry insisted. "We'll find a way."  
  
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They had raced back home, stopping for Myrtle to change into her dress, of course, and Merry and Pippin busied themselves laying the table and generally making themselves useful before asking for permission to take Myrtle to Hobbiton. After their meal, once they had washed up everything and the women had expressed astonishment at their helpfulness, Merry broached the subject.  
  
"Mum, you know that Gandalf is on his way to Hobbiton."  
  
Esmeralda smiled knowingly. "Yes, Merry, I know."  
  
"Well, we're going to see the fireworks, right?"  
  
"Yes, Merry. We'll be going for a while and staying with Bilbo and Frodo at Bag End." Pippin's face nearly split with his wide grin.  
  
"What about Myrtle, mum?" he asked nonchalantly. Esmeralda looked at him questioningly.  
  
"You want Myrtle to go?" She had witnessed how horrible Myrtle was towards them, and wondered why they'd ask for her company.  
  
"We just don't see why she should be left out of something like this. Everyone should see Gandalf's firework show." Esmeralda and Eglantine looked towards Peony and Myrtle.  
  
"What do you think Peony?" she asked.  
  
"I don't think it's an activity Myrtle would like, is it darling?"  
  
"Why would I want to go to a stupid fireworks show?" Myrtle sneered. Merry and Pippin glared at her.  
  
"Let us think about it, OK," Esmeralda finally replied. "Now off you go, take Myrtle outside to the garden for a while."  
  
Once outside, Pippin turned to her frustrated. "Why did you have to go and tell them that?"  
  
"You know what it's like," she whispered back.  
  
"You could at least have helped a little. This is just going to make life more difficult."  
  
"Do you want to come or not?" asked Merry.  
  
"Of course I do, but I can't risk looking too enthusiastic. Look, at least let's listen in on the conversation. See what they're saying about it."  
  
They crept up to the kitchen window and sat below it. From inside, the voices carried out magnificently.  
  
"I just don't think it's a suitable pastime for a young hobbit lady," came Peony's voice.  
  
"Mother!" Myrtle hissed angrily before Pippin thumped her quiet.  
  
"On the other hand, you'd get to visit Hobbiton and see Bilbo again."  
  
"That Bilbo, he's an odd one. I'm not sure whether Myrtle should be mixing with hobbits like that."  
  
"What are you going to do here all alone?" asked Eglantine. There was a short silence as Peony thought it over.  
  
"I suppose you're right about that, and I have been looking for a nice young hobbit for Myrtle. I could have some luck in Hobbiton."  
  
"Why are you looking already? She's not of age yet, is she?"  
  
"Oh no, not at all. I worry about her though. She's not a pretty lass, rather plain. Her manner doesn't attract gentlehobbits either."  
  
"Oh, come now, Peony," interjected Eglantine. "She's a nice lass."  
  
"No, no, I can be unbiased, she is not much to look at. I sometimes wonder what she'd do without me. If she didn't have me to find her a nice husband, where would she end up?"  
  
"Well, that's as may be, but you're agreeing to come along, right?" sighed Esmeralda. She didn't believe in all this matchmaking.  
  
"I'm sure it will be a productive visit," she finally allowed. The young hobbits gave a hushed whoop of joy at the news.  
  
"I'm going to see fireworks at last! My brothers will be so pleased!"  
  
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brachan90 - Many more pranks and wrongful blaming to come!  
  
I'll be away for about a week, so no updates then! In the meantime, c'mon guys, leave a line or two. Brighten my day a little :oD Please R&R. 


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